This video is pretty awesome. Taking a trip through Japan’s rich cultural heritage, this video gives you a glimpse of the brewing process behind Sapporo. It may not be how it’s actually brewed, but if the creators of Avatar met with the creators of Kung Fu Panda and Fern Gully, and then they went to the Wonka Factory to see how the Oompa Loompas took an ordinary task and made it absolutely fascinating to watch, this is what they would envision. See the full post »

Political affairs never cease to amaze me. Especially, when fine beverages are involved.

Venezuela’s extreme leftist leader, President Hugo Chavez, is hell bent on a mission to completely nationalize the country’s economy. In his economic war on Venezuela’s “stateless bourgeoisie”, Chavez has already nationalized dozens of companies, including multi-billion dollar oil projects.

At the moment, Chavez’s main target is Venezuela’s largest privately owned company and biggest beer producer, Empresas Polar. From seizing warehouses and products to threatening to raise taxes on beer, Chavez seems to be doing everything in his power to force Mendoza into the de-privatization of Empresas Polar. Last week, Chavez ordered the military to crack down on businesses selling beer — especially unlicensed retailers and people selling beer out of trucks. See the full post »

On June 17th, homebrewers from around the country will descend upon Minneapolis, MN to take part in the world’s largest homebrewers conference. Organized by the American Homebrewers Association, the 32nd Annual National Homebrewers Conference is a sold-out event and is expected to bring 1,200 homebrewers to the area for three days of educational seminars, competitions, tastings. The even will culminate with the Grand Banquet and National Homebrew Competition Ceremony. See the full post »

A Belgian and a Scotsman walk into a bar… ahhh the beginning to a very lame joke. But still, Belgian and Scotch – these are two words you rarely find in the same sentence, let alone the style description of a beer. It would be like labeling a wine as a “Bordeaux-style Tuscan.” Just seems weird.

All joking aside, Belgian-Style Scotch Ale, the fourth installment in the REUNION Beer series, is set to release later this month. For those of you who cannot wrap your heads around such a concept, let me break it down. Essentially, the beer is brewed using a Scotch Ale recipe, with 5 different malts, hopped with Kent Goldings, and then fermented at a high gravity using Trappist yeast (aka Belgian yeast). Scotch Ale, Belgian yeast. Got it? See the full post »

What could possibly bring together 10,000 bottles of beer, 1,500 oysters, 4,000 biodegradable bamboo sporks, 300 pounds of cheese, and 2,000 hungry and thirsty attendees? That would be SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience. June 5th marked the third annual SAVOR, an amazing event aimed at bringing craft beer drinkers and foodies together for an incredible evening of pairing great food with some of America’s best craft beer. Hosted at the beautiful National Building Museum in Washington D.C., several brewery owners, brewers, and other representatives from 70 of America’s favorite craft breweries were on hand, pouring samples of hand-crafted beers next to tables lined with mind-blowing appetizers and food ready to be paired with the nectar of the gods. See the full post »

Yes. This is happening. As of this morning, Odonata Beer Company’s highly coveted Saison, its very first bottle release since the company was founded in 2009, has been loaded onto trucks headed to various specialty beer retailers throughout Northern California. The beer was originally released in May and, until now, it was only available on draught in Sacramento and some VERY select accounts in the Bay Area. See the full post »

A viral video capturing a young child (assumed to be between the ages of 3 and 4) allegedly drinking beer in the stands of a Philadelphia Phillies game was recently released on YouTube, causing quite an uproar and outrage across the Internet. See the full post »

Copious amounts of beer and beautiful beaches — On Saturday June 19, “Salute!” will be transforming San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura, California into a place that even Jimmy Buffet might feel compelled to call “Margaritaville.”

“The First Annual Salute! to Celebrate Finely Crafted Beer & Food will feature a taste of the nation’s finest craft beers paired with a taste of the Gold Coast’s finest food. Salute! shall present 50+ elite invited breweries alongside the best local restaurants to deliver the first of its kind premiere beer & food pairing event to honor the spirit of a festival experience that stands in a class by itself.” See the full post »